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Teacher induction program: Begin well to aim well
There is a gap between theoretical and practical knowledge as soon as student teachers enter a real classroom setting.
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Learning together: Children learn about animal conservation from a teacher using cardboard puppets at Cemara Kulon village in Indramayu, West Java in this picture taken on Jun. 19. (AFP/Timur Matahari )
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n a nation striving to improve the quality of its educational fleet, the demand for teachers to enhance their competence is more pressing now than ever. The success of the newly launched Freedom Curriculum requires teachers to possess sufficient professional knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1987).
Furthermore, teachers are expected to be resilient, dedicated and passionate so they are able to engage students from different backgrounds and with different needs in quality learning experiences. On top of that, teachers are expected to collaborate and work with their peers, the school leadership and with parents to set and attain desired educational goals.
There have been numerous studies on the impact of teacher education programs on the quality of the teaching force. Upon graduating from the teacher education program and entering the teaching profession, beginning teachers are at a crucial point that sets the trajectory of their professional journey.
The National Education Ministry issued Ministerial Regulation (Permendiknas) No. 27/2010 to govern the induction program for novice teachers. The effectiveness of any induction for rookie teachers relies on three factors: continuous training, mentoring and community of practice.
In other professions, training and retraining are an essential part of the work requirement. In the teaching profession, there is a great variation of opportunities for teachers to receive training. The knowledge novice teachers acquired and the teaching practice they experienced during their teacher education programs may not be adequate to prepare them for the world of practices in the school settings.
Many of the issues and challenges (e.g. student behavior) in the classrooms of today may be unprecedented and not covered in textbooks of teacher education programs. There is a gap between theoretical and practical knowledge as soon as student teachers enter a real classroom setting (Lie, et al., 2017).
The most effective teacher professional development is a continuous school-based program where novice teachers have the opportunity to make sense of the lessons gained from their training and incorporate the new ideas into their practical knowledge and thus to close the gap between their theoretical and practical knowledge. This leads us to the next factor.
